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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Joni Mitchell meets Tori Amos on this angst ridden guitar and piano based album. Ani Di Franco doesn't write songs for the 'beautiful people'. She writes for all us lesser mortals those who love and lose, whose hearts don't break cleanly. Every song becomes a story and the fragility of her voice sits in stark contrast to the strength behind her musical talent. Strong tracks include track four, 'Hey You', and tracks number six 'Overlap' and eight 'Falling'. Her lyrics are both articulate yet brutally honest and so convincingly autobiographical that by the close of the album you feel as if you have gained a new best friend. Not immediatly accessible, it takes more than one listen to appreciate the depth of this musical talent. Heartily recommended !
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have always been a big fan of certain female singer/songwriters such as Tori Amos, Jewel and Edie Brickell to name but a few. I was therefore excited to be leant a CD by a friend who thought I might like Ani DiFranco, having not heard of her before. 'Out of Range' was one of the two albums of her's that I listened to and I have to say that I instantly knew it was my kind of music and she was my kind of singer. There isn't a duff song on the album and it's one that I have listened to regularly since I got hold of it. It's like your favourite film in that every time you watch it you notice something new. The album has this affect and I know that that I will never get bored of listening to it and there's always somethig different and affecting to take from it. It has everything that a brilliant album should have. Great melodies, meaningful lyrics, she has a fantastic voice and although every track is very strong in it's own right, the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. It takes you on an emotional journey and will not leave you. There is also great variety in the songs which range from catchy and upflifting 'Buildings and Bridges' to the spine tinglingly beautiful 'Hell Yeah'. I know it sounds like a grand claim but my life is richer for knowing this album and I am happpy to shout this from the rooftops so that you all know about it!!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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43 reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Beautiful album
16 Aug 2001
Format:Audio CD
This is definitely a MUST for any Ani fan, or for those who want to indoctrinate themselves...It's visceral, immediate, pure Ani, and it's amazing from beginning to end...It's songs stand on their own, but together in an album they are pure magic. In my opinion the first standout is 'Buildings and Bridges' - you can't not stop and take notice of this song in which she draws parallels on the necessity of one's ability to shift, grow, change, and ultimately accept life, by comparing it to the necessity of the built environment (a human creation) to bear the shifting tides of the earth. The thoughtful observation, pure emotion and truth of what she is saying creates a song with magnitude and breadth. 'Falling is Like This' is gorgeous. 'You Had Time' is so quintessential Ani - haunting, sad, layered, a foreshadow of the great artist she has, and continues to become. Don't miss it.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Right on target!
7 Oct 2004
Format:Audio CD
Out of Range is an exercise in musical, lyrical, and vocal subtlety by Ani DiFranco. By the time she announces in track 5 that her reference to "two tree limbs" is "a metaphor, if you know what I mean", you've already been drawn into a subliminal lyrical journey quite nicely; the songs are about real life without gloss. The music is pure delight, with sparse acoustic guitar accompaniment dominating many of the songs -- she sometimes resorts to gently plucking the notes of the same chord repeatedly, but deftly avoids becoming monotonous and dull-sounding when she does this. Her simple acoustic moments work perfectly in setting up the explosive moments of electric-guitar playing (and horn playing on one track) that pepper the CD. The lady sings slow ballads and fast rockers with a youthful-McCartney-like adeptness. She is superb.
I like every track on this CD but I wish to comment on two specific songs. With wonderful percussion and a 3-piece horn section accompaniment, "How Have You Been" explodes from the speakers. The raucous music superbly supports the raucous attitude of a lyric about a disenchanted lover. "You Had Time" is an unusual track because it has a gorgeous, two-minute-long, piano introduction that quietly alerts the listener that something important and significant is up. The extended intro seems to represent either a period of meditation and contemplation or the period of loss felt in a dying relationship. The lyric touches on the conflict one feels when one person in a relationship senses that something is missing while the other person believes that they've found bliss. By the way, in my opinion, Ani's lyrics on Out of Range are gender neutral and can be related to by heterosexual people. Don't believe anyone who tells you differently.
You may consider Ani DiFranco's voice on Out of Range to be either exquisite or quirky (depending on your personal taste in vocals) but it is, undeniably, a fascinating mixture of mature sound and childlike sound; she absolutely avoids the annoying childlike-sound of some recent female pop singers. Early in her career, Ani was categorized as a folk singer (note: the local Coconuts Music Store near my home has Ani DiFranco's CDs in its tiny "Folk" section). The "Folk" tag has stuck with her despite the fact that the lady really hits her stride with a very funky rock and jazz-rock style.
Although Ani DiFranco has oft been compared to specific female folkies and rockers, her sound on Out of Range is a synthesis of many who came before her: Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchell, Edie Brickell, Suzane Vega, Natalie Merchant (who, like Ani, hails from western New York) and even Debbi Harry (on the fast songs), to name but a few. It seems to me that Ms. DiFranco has had an influence on the likes of Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, Lisa Loeb, Tori Amos, Rachael Sage, and many others, although her relative obscurity may make that contention an implausible and impossible one in most cases.
Out of Range is an excellent album. If you like vivid melodies, subtle narrative lyrics, and Ani's voice, you should add Out of Range to your music collection.
I like every track on this CD but I wish to comment on two specific songs. With wonderful percussion and a 3-piece horn section accompaniment, "How Have You Been" explodes from the speakers. The raucous music superbly supports the raucous attitude of a lyric about a disenchanted lover. "You Had Time" is an unusual track because it has a gorgeous, two-minute-long, piano introduction that quietly alerts the listener that something important and significant is up. The extended intro seems to represent either a period of meditation and contemplation or the period of loss felt in a dying relationship. The lyric touches on the conflict one feels when one person in a relationship senses that something is missing while the other person believes that they've found bliss. By the way, in my opinion, Ani's lyrics on Out of Range are gender neutral and can be related to by heterosexual people. Don't believe anyone who tells you differently.
You may consider Ani DiFranco's voice on Out of Range to be either exquisite or quirky (depending on your personal taste in vocals) but it is, undeniably, a fascinating mixture of mature sound and childlike sound; she absolutely avoids the annoying childlike-sound of some recent female pop singers. Early in her career, Ani was categorized as a folk singer (note: the local Coconuts Music Store near my home has Ani DiFranco's CDs in its tiny "Folk" section). The "Folk" tag has stuck with her despite the fact that the lady really hits her stride with a very funky rock and jazz-rock style.
Although Ani DiFranco has oft been compared to specific female folkies and rockers, her sound on Out of Range is a synthesis of many who came before her: Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchell, Edie Brickell, Suzane Vega, Natalie Merchant (who, like Ani, hails from western New York) and even Debbi Harry (on the fast songs), to name but a few. It seems to me that Ms. DiFranco has had an influence on the likes of Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, Lisa Loeb, Tori Amos, Rachael Sage, and many others, although her relative obscurity may make that contention an implausible and impossible one in most cases.
Out of Range is an excellent album. If you like vivid melodies, subtle narrative lyrics, and Ani's voice, you should add Out of Range to your music collection.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
out of range
20 Dec 1999
Format:Audio CD
This album is duly titled, to me, because it leaves all of Ani's other albums "out of range". Every song leads you through a gate, hand held-led by Ani's extremely visual lyrics, to a new world where you either feel the heart-aches or wondermant of being a being of this earth. After listening to all of Ani's albums I return to this album again and again due to it's extremely poignant lyrics. If I could recommend any Ani cd to a new listener this, without a doubt, would be the one!
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